The Way We Were

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The Way We Were

PG

Released Oct 17, 1973

1h 58m

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Opposites attract when, during their college days, Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand), a politically active Jew, meets Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford), a feckless WASP. Years later, in the wake of World War II, they meet again and, despite their obvious differences, marry. Hubbell wants to be a screenwriter, so the two move to California despite Katie's objections. They prosper there, but as the Hollywood blacklist looms, Katie's activism threatens her husband's reputation.

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Critics Consensus

The Way We Were is not politically confrontational enough for its story of ideological opposites falling in love to feel authentic, but Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford's beaming star power gives this melodrama romantic lift.

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Kenneth Robins

Sydney Morning Herald

The Way We Were... is not really a valid title, for so few of us were this way.

Mar 7, 2022

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

The Way We Were is a fluke -- a torpedoed ship full of gaping holes that comes snugly into port.

Jan 20, 2022

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Jesse Hassenger

AV Club

For a screen romance with huge movie stars, that sentiment feels pretty real.

Nov 14, 2018

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Kat Halstead

Common Sense Media

What maintains The Way We Were through its potential cringes is the realism of the romantic arc and the believable chemistry between the two leads -- equal passion and frustration, at times a perfect romance and others a doomed affair.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 9, 2023

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Allison Rose

FlickDirect

Casting Streisand and Redford was brilliant as they are clearly on opposite ends of the spectrum but have an obvious onscreen chemistry that makes the movie work.

Rated: 4.5/5

Oct 16, 2023

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David Elliott

Chicago Daily News

It's a movie with big sharp teeth but no bite. The mouth opens, the dentures fall out and the story just sits there gaping at its own emptiness.

Oct 3, 2023

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Georgia S

So meaningful. Touching. Long lasting. The story never gets old - even if the movie is.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/08/25

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Rob G

Not bad. Good little tear jerker of a movie. Saw it again for the first time since the 70s. Here are my pros/cons having just finished it. The good: performances are great. The theme song is very catchy. Streisand, in particular, plays here role as the annoying activist well. I just wanted to shake her and tell her to stop the entire time! The bad: The leads had no chemistry...I just don't believe their romance. Redford, at almost 40 years old, in no way passes for a college student for the first 30 minutes of the movie...are you kidding me? The ending kills me: how could any father just walk away from their kid and want no participation in her life? Maybe I'll watch it again in another 50 years :).

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/22/25

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julie b

Beautiful cinematography and color, and how is Robert Redford so insanely charming and handsome in every movie???? However, this is seriously lacking from chemistry, energy, and some of the early scenes are incredibly uncomfortable and are hard to look past.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/23/24

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Rosemary S

Brilliant acting - addition of the new scenes in the 50th anniversary re-release buttons up the story and propels this film to 10/10.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/27/23

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Michelle H

One of my favorite movies. Redford and Streisand were perfection in this movie. Great storyline about what was happening in America and Hollywood during that period in history.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/14/23

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Bridget P

One of my favorite movies of all time. I saw it when it first came out and both Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford gave us one of their best performances. It's a classic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/09/23

Full Review

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Sydney Pollack

Director

Barbra Streisand

Katie

Robert Redford

Hubbell

Bradford Dillman

J.J.

Murray Hamilton

Brooks Carpenter

Patrick O'Neal

George Bissinger

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Know Your Critic: Max Weiss, Editor-in-Chief at Baltimore Magazine

The Way We Were: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Opposites attract when, during their college days, Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand), a politically active Jew, meets Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford), a feckless WASP. Years later, in the wake of World War II, they meet again and, despite their obvious differences, marry. Hubbell wants to be a screenwriter, so the two move to California despite Katie's objections. They prosper there, but as the Hollywood blacklist looms, Katie's activism threatens her husband's reputation.

Director: Sydney Pollack
Producer: Ray Stark
Screenwriter: Arthur Laurents
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 17, 1973, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 21, 2010
Runtime: 1h 58m

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